Antique aficionados in Asia would be treated to some of the most exciting galleries of international art and antiques this October.  The Hong Kong International Art & Antiques Fair started last October 4 and will end up on the 7th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition.

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It will showcase a diverse collection of antiques and arts not only from Asia but also from America and Europe from the Neolithic time until the contemporary art. A total of around 300 million HK dollars worth of high valued items are at everyone’s perusal.

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The 3rd Hong Kong International Art & Antiques Fair will not only open around 80 galleries but will also be a venue for lectures and important discussions regarding art by some of the leading experts in the different antique categories. It would be wise for every antique lover to visit the fair and not only be mesmerized by the collections the antique fair is offering but also participate in the lectures and forums.

If you missed the first three days, don’t despair, you can still catch the antique fair tomorrow between 11 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. You need not buy any ticket since it is free and open to the public.

Sarah Fossett is a busy woman these days preparing for her first antique Festival in Downtown Benton as a promotion committee member.

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The festival is slated to be held on the 6th and 7th of June 2008, and will charge a $2 admission fee at the gate. Guests will be able to buy dinner from Martin’s Catering at $8 per dinner.

Activities will begin at 8:00 am, and the area including the parking stall sand the outside of the square will be filled with antiques that will include tractors. The appraisals will take place at $5 per person, though each person can only bring two.

Along with this event, will be a silent auction that will begin at 6:00 pm. A silent auction is one where bids are written down on piece of paper, and at a certain time, the bids are opened. The highest bidder wins. The proceeds from this auction will go to the Gabriella Smith Leukemia Fund. Gabriella was diagnosed with Leukemia in January.

Organizing the fair is a satisfying job for Sarah, who took it up after her husband passed away in order to find something to do. She currently works at the Fire Station Ladies auxiliary members, and is arranging floral themed gift baskets.

The Slidell Antique Fair is held twice a year in the town of Slidell, Los Angeles. Barbara Starling, representing the Slidell Antique Association, has said that after Hurricane Katrina, the size of the fair has been significantly diminished, and hopes to restore the fair to it’s original size.

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However, the shopkeepers in the area are protesting the move, as they feel that while the fair is in progress, the tents block out their shops and they get no business during the time.

They opposed an ordinance that was being tabled to determine the exact perimeters of the fair, as well as when it was to be held each year. The shopkeepers are protesting that unless a workaround is achieved, the bill must not go through.

The Bill is tabled by District A Councilman Lionel Hicks, who reminded the opponents that they had the legal right to close down the street for the purpose. However, Councilman Warren Crockett feels that the shopkeepers have a right to ask for changes, and has himself suggested that the bill not be tabled until and unless the problems are sorted out.

The fair brings in quite a large number of visitors into the city every year, and consequently a lot of cash as hotels and food joints get a lot of business.

It’s heartening to see antique shows doing well, among all the other troubling things that are happening to us these days. And it seems that the Cottonwood Forge Antique Tractor and Power Show is all set to deliver an even bigger show than last year.

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Sam Dembitsky is the organizer, and on the 7th of June on the north side of Interstate 76 at exit 89, he will be hosting the 2008 event bigger and better than before.

In the spirit of the show, there will be an Olde Tyme Costume and Dress contest. The idea will be to look like a farmer out of the 1950s. The public must wear bib overalls, straw hats, and long skirts. Men can look like farmers, and women can look like old farmer’s wives.

The winner will receive a prize, and there’s no entry fee. As in last year’s show, vendors will be required to bring along antique tractors and stationary engines. Even though vendors will not be charged a fee, they will be required to donate an item each, which will be auctioned, and the proceeds will go to the show organizers.

The show will begin early at 6 am with breakfast. Those interested in more information can call Dembitsky at 970-842-3696

Murray McKearney, had a long career in fine arts, and auction houses. He also had a retail store in Karamu Rd, Hastings. At the age of 80, he died in January, and his son Christopher, wants to give a tribute to his father by auctioning his father’s antiques.

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McKearney used to make trips to Britain, where he regularly brought back items that were antiques, and that he treasured greatly. When asked, which of his father’s treasures he valued, the most Christopher said that his father treasured all the antiques.

“Towards the end he was reluctant to sell anything; they were all his old friends. He was very fond of everything in the place, it was somewhere he felt good and comfortable in his latter years.”, he said.

He also said that people were very excited about it. “In talking to some people from Wellington the other day, they said to get the quantity and quality we have here they would have to go to seven or eight auctions.”

The Auction will be held in Hawkes Bay, and will see more than 800 antiques sold. This auction will be one of the best auctions that antique dealers have ever seen.

Held at the Shanghai East Asia Exhibition Center, the China Antique and Artwork Exposition was held over the weekend. The four day event was organized by the Shanghai Yunzhou Antique City, and featured a high end auction.

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The exhibition had 153 booths selling stone carvings, and antique furniture. The antique artwords come from all over China, and some are from private hands. The top auction houses in China such as the Beijing Poly Auction, and the Shanghai Duoyunxuan will showcase their products, which however will not be for sale immediately.

The Pulic relations director of Zhejiang Xilengyingshe Auction House said that the highlight of his auction house was a painting scroll created by Badashanren at the age of 59. The price of the piece is estimated to be US $2.9 Million. The piece will go under the hammer in June at Hangzhou.

Badashanren was from the imperial house of the Ming Dynasty. After the fall of the Dynasty, he transformed into a monk and a Taoist priest. The frustration of his life was expressed in his paintings. His painting were charachteristically exagerrated in their details, and his animals all had eyes which were dotted simple circles.

Larry Wood, who started the Allegan Antique Market in 1978, is organizing this event for the 30th time in as man years at the Allegan County Fairgrounds. The fair is a well known place for antique lovers, either old or new, to find something that speaks to them.

When the show is on, huge crowds numbering in thousands come in before noon. Wood, who is an antique lover himself recommends that people new to antiques must start small. In addition, Rich Hewitt, who is an employee at Eastown Antiques says that every person must have a person grounded in reality along with them to avoid rash purchases. Otherwise, he feels, it’s very easy to get carried away by something that you will not be able to afford, or have place to keep!

Quite the contrary to what people thought, the lowered economy, and ebay haven’t made a dent in traditional antique shows and venues. The reason perhaps is that a lot of people love the atmosphere permeated with plenty of other people sharing the same passion. They enjoy the search, and holding various different things. Several people come and spend the entire day there, and make it an event.

The event will be held at the Allegan County Fairgrounds from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, June 29, July 27, Aug. 31 and Sept. 28. The Price of admission in $4 per person.

The Denver Antique show has a history of 26 years behind it. This year, it took it’s guests to the Tuscan Countryside, as it remade the Rockies Air and Space Museum.

It is now held in the Central city Opera before being held in the Denver Art Museam. It was initially called the Spalding Antiques show.

The Museum used to be an air force hanger, and is now populated with Vintage Aircraft. Meg Nichols and Melanie Ervolina were the head of the team that remade it using antique Italian fountains and columns with fresh floral accents. The other committee members were Interior designers, or members of the Garden Club

Antique dealers came to display their wares ranging from Fine Period Jewelry to Alpine hunting and fishing antiques. Hugh Hildesley, who is the executive vice president of Sotheby’s North and South America was the speaker at lunch. The preview party was attended by people who had supported the show for a long time. Jodi Sorensed, Julie Wham and Jody Phelps where the Chairpersons of the event.